Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
J. C. Santoyo
*
En 1502, según la fecha más admitida, quizá 1503, se publicaba en
Amberes, aunque sin indicación de autor, lugar, fecha o impresor, un libro
que directamente se iniciaba con la frase: In this Booke is conteyned the
Names of ye Balyfs, Custos, Mairs, and Sherefs, of ye Cite of London, from
the Tyme of King Richard the Furst. Tan extraño encabezamiento ha hecho
que al libro se lo haya conocido bajo tres distintas denominaciones: The
Statutes of London, The Customs of London y Arnold’s Chronicle, este
último título debido a que, con toda probabilidad, el autor del libro fue el
comerciante o mercader londinense Richard Arnold(e), como así se ha
venido estimando desde el propio siglo XVI. El volumen, impreso (al
parecer) en Amberes por (también al parecer) Jan van Dvesborch (o John
of Doesborowe), conoció una segunda edición, ligeramente ampliada,
asimismo sin indicación de lugar, fecha e impresor, si bien lo fue en
Londres, ca. 1521-2, en la imprenta de Peter Treveris. En 1811 Francis
Deuce lo reeditó con la siguiente página titular:
Documento nº I
Preised be God only in vnite, and the grace of God and his saluacion
with Machomet his prophet seruant and messanger to the Lord whom
beleue to be of creacion we honor the High Almyghty exalted and to gether
preise we his maruailes. The honorable auncient Alfayques Predicatores,
in especial the honorable vertuous wise and discret Abnadaly Almifiky
Machamet Vengalip Auen Aladep Zenzehe, God Almyghty mot prosper
your honor and the honor of alle the honorable auncient of realme and
conteinew your suerte and peas. I send to greete you as he that loueth you,
and is your neybour and beleuith in the lawe of God and his prophet
Machamet as ye doo Areuandetgh Almynykis ye God mot remedy writith
this leter and bryng if good euer preyng God to contynu your suerte for the
suernesse of the contynual keping of this holy lawe for therby you haue to
be sauf, and ther with that God kepe you as ye defree.
Fro the cite of Fesse ye x. day of March lxxxx. yeris Machometi, that
is to sey M. iiij. C. lxxxvi.
Documento nº II
Cercifycat.
In the towne of Seynt Lucas off Berrameda, Saturday the xxix. day of
the moneth of May, the yere of the byrthe of our Sauiour Ihû Crist of
M.CCCC.lxxxx. in this day aboue sayd before the honorable Peter Gracia
Carnayl alcaydy ordinary of this sayd towne for ye worthy and right noble
Lord my Lord, Lord Henry de Gusmanys Duk of ye citye of Medena
Sydonya, Erle off Niebla, Lord of the noble citee of Gibrealtare, and in the
presence of me John de Oraga scryuan publico of this said towne for the
sayd Lord Duk, apiered present Nicolas Arnolde Englissh abyder in this
towne and saied to the sayd alcayde in the presens of me the sayd scryvan
publico and the witnesses vndir wreton, that for asmoche as it myght be ij.
monethes litel more or lesse that Nicholas Warbaoys marchaunt Englissh
had laden and laded in ye ship of John Mychels Biscayn neyghboure of
Matrico xv. tonne of oyle consigned the oon half to Richard Arnolde
marchaunt Englissh his fadre neyghboure of the cite of London, and the
other of the sayd xv. tonne at the charge and aduenture of y e sayd Nicolas
Warboys and for hym, and for asmoche as it behoued hym and to hym was
conuenyent to sheue by trouth and wytnesse ye aforesayd in some parties
and places to hym conuenyent he disired and asked the same alcaydy that
he commaunde to recyue and wolde recyue ye sayd deposicion of Willyam
Holibrand marchaunt English bider in this towne and that he shulde make
to be asked what it is that he knoweth of the forsayd for the sayng
aforesayd, and that he shulde say and depose bi his seyng and deposicion
that he wolde commaund to geue and shulde geue ferme of his name and of
myn the sayd scryvan publice. And the sayd alcayde caused too be
receyued and receyued the oothe of ye said Willyam Holibrande marchaunt
English, by the name of God and Mary, and by the wordis of Holy Gospell
accordyng to the forme of right. And vpon the sayd othe made he was asked
for that he knewe of the foresayd; and he sayed that that he knewe was, that
it myght be xv. dayes litell more or lesse, that goyng he the same witnesse
walkyng with the said Nycholas Warboys and Nicholas Arnolde, by the pley
of the ryuer of this said towne, that ye sayd Nicholas Arnolde said to the
said Nicholas Warboys, Nicholas those xv. tonne of oyle that ye laded in
the ship of John Mighels, were they the oon half yours and the other half
my faders, and laded you them for him and for you, and that y e said
Nicholas sayd well, and that the sayd Nycholas Arnolde sayd ageyn what
thing is wel, say ye or nay, and than ye sayd Nicholas Warboys sayed ye he
had laden the sayd xv. tonne of oyle, the oon half for hym and the half for
the fader of the said Nycholas Arnolde, and that he had nat laden them in
noon other maner, and that this that he knewe and past vpon his sayd othe
that he made; and the sayd alcayde said and commaunded me the sayd
scryuan publico that I shuld gyue of all witnesse to the said Nicholas
Arnolde, and I haue gyuen hym therof this writyng accordyng as it passed
fermed of the sayd alcayde, and my name and signe that it made and past
the day, moneth, and yere abouesayd, wytnesses of thys towne, and Peter
Serrono scriuans neighbores.
*
No cabe duda, dada su naturaleza, de que se trata de dos textos
traducidos del castellano al inglés, ambos anónimos, ya que no hay
constancia alguna de que Richard Arnold sea el traductor, únicamente su
‘recopilador’. Pero no es demasiado arriesgado suponer que el traductor de
uno y otro texto (sobre todo, del segundo) puede haber sido su hijo,
Nicholas Arnold, que en 1490 consta como residente en la propia ciudad de
San Lúcar de Barrameda (“abyder in this towne”). Ese mismo documento
asegura que es hijo de “Richard Arnold marchaunt Englissh his fadre
neyghboure of the cite of London”.
El primero de los textos, una carta que el ‘gran capitán del reino de
Messye’ envía desde Fez (Fesse) al ‘gran alfaquí’ de Granada (Garnade),
consta explícitamente como “take[n] out of Arabye language in to
Castilian” y, consecuentemente, luego del castellano al inglés. La presencia
de abundantes hispanismos (alfayke, alfayques predicatores, suerte,
fanegas, alkaide) corrobora esa condición traducida.
Referencias bibliográficas